Why does the Doctor like hugs?
by wibblywobblybowtie
Summary: The Doctor discovers that he doesn't mind Clara's hugs, but it takes him some time to figure out why.


**AN:**

This is the first fanfiction i ever wrote, back in 2017. I only joined recently, and am now adding fics from my ao3 account :)

This regeneration had never seemed to like hugs, but somehow something had changed. Clara kept hugging him, and at first, he really didn't like it. But then some time later, he just complained out of habit and he noticed that he didn't even mind her hugging him. That time in the viking village, he thought he'd lost her, and when she came back he was so happy, that he had just gone to her and hugged her. She must've thought he'd gone crazy. But then again, she was Clara, she'd probably already noticed what was on his mind.

Now they were running away from a group of Daleks. They had been running together until they decided it would be better to split up. Even though it had been a plan both of them liked, it wasn't the Doctor's favorite. Each time the Doctor couldn't see Clara, he was so afraid something bad would happen to her. He knew she was very strong, and she could easily handle stuff by herself, but it still made him nervous. Running on, he noticed that the Daleks had also split into two groups. One group had followed Clara, the other group had followed him. Everything was going according to plan. Before splitting up, he'd made up the plan, and with one glance at Clara, they both knew they'd had the same plan. They would both run away from each other, and then, because it was a circular building, they would bump into each other at the other end. That would make the Daleks shoot each other and they would be destroyed. So, the Doctor kept on running, the thought of seeing Clara sooner if he sped up, making him go even faster. Luckily for him, the circle of the building wasn't too big, so they bumped into each other within two minutes of splitting up.

But 'of course', the Doctor was thinking about everything so much he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings and literally bumped into Clara. Once they'd bumped, the Doctor hugged Clara, and picked her up, quickly moving out of the line of fire. Clara let out a small screech of surprise. He quickly set her down, and they ran for the TARDIS. When they got to the TARDIS, Clara got out her key, and opened the door. They both quickly walked into the TARDIS, and closed the door behind them. The Doctor ran over to Clara again and gave her a big hug. Clara first stiffened up, not expecting a hug, but let herself melt into him, quite enjoying his warm embrace.

"What made you a hugger, Doctor?" Clara asked, all the adrenaline leaving her body.

"I don't know, but I actually think I do do hugs now", he said.

"Really?" Clara replied. "Well, I think I kindof like it." she added, hugging him tighter. After a while, the Doctor let her go, and he walked to the console.

"So, forward or backwards in time?" It was difficult for the Doctor to go back to normal again. He actually found himself missing her close to him. It felt weird, but not bad. Well, her not feeling close felt bad, but there was something else he felt, which warmed him up a bit. He was lucky to have her travelling with him.

Clara also seemed a bit shook, she probably didn't understand what had gotten into him. Luckily Clara understood that he wasn't able to talk about it now. Or she'd just let it go for now. She'd talk about it to him later though. She'd never just let this happen without understanding why. For now, it was time for a new adventure.

This time they'd been chased by invisible aliens. They weren't really invisible, they did have shadow. And they weren't really like ghosts, you could touch them, which made them really weird. (Do watch out, next time you trip over something or seem to bump into something, you might have stumbled across one of them, so watch out for unexplained shadows.) The Doctor had found out that they only wanted a place to live, and that they didn't really need it to be earth. So he had invited all of them into the TARDIS, and they were now on their way to some uninhabited planet.

Clara had been a bit more sceptical than the Doctor, on taking a big group of invisible aliens along. And it was good that she had been. Because she'd been so sceptical, the Doctor had made sure that every room other than the console room was unreachable. The moment the whole group of invisible aliens got into the TARDIS, they started to try to break stuff, and they tried to take quite a lot of what was in the TARDIS. Luckily the TARDIS was really strong, and they couldn't take anything. (Even the books somehow seemed glued to the cupboard.) The Doctor made sure they got to the planet as quick as possible, and just dumped all of them out, checking if there were no other lifeforms in the TARDIS then him and Clara. Everyone had left. He sighed of relief, but he stopped when he noticed that literally everyone had left. Clara wasn't there anymore! He quickly ran out of the TARDIS, and locked it as fast as he could. He heard her in the distance. "DOCTOR!" She screamed. He quickly ran, following the sound.

Because the invisible aliens were new to this planet too, they didn't have any houses or cells, where they could put Clara, so they tied her arms to a random tree with some rope they'd took from earth. After that they went to stand a few meters from her, to discuss what to do. They wanted the TARDIS. With that, they could go anywhere they wanted. They could probably use her as a bargaining chip. Clara meanwhile, noticed they hadn't tied her up tight enough, so she quietly wiggled out of the rope. When she was loose, she started running to the TARDIS. Within two seconds, one of the invisible's had noticed her, and was chasing after her. She ran as quickly as she could. When she was halfway there, she came across the Doctor. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along with her towards the TARDIS. "CLARA! You're okay!" he said. "Yes, I'm okay Doctor, but they're following us, so we have to concentrate on running!" she replied. They continued, and only just got into the TARDIS on time. One of the invisible aliens had even gotten into the TARDIS with them. The Doctor and Clara both grabbed one of his 'hands' and pushed him out. "Are we the only ones in the TARDIS now Doctor?" "Yes. We did it." The Doctor hugged Clara again, out of relief and out of happiness, that they had both survived again. "Still liking hugs Doctor?" she said. "I haven't changed my opinion yet no."

"Do you know why you like hugs yet?"

"Umm.. I.. I.. have a… umm… theory.. but.."

Even though it wasn't a real answer, it surprised Clara. The confident I-am-(almost) always-right-Doctor couldn't tell her why he liked hugs. "If you don't want to tell me that's okay Doctor. Are you sure you're okay though? You never have difficulty with talking"

"I'm fine"

"Are you sure?"

"I think so yeah… Could you explain why you like hugs then, Clara?"

"Why I like hugs? They're warm? Gosh you're right it is a difficult question." She thought for a moment. "O, I know Doctor, you can show affection for people. Like, you hug friends or family, to show that you like them."

"Yeah I think that's what could be my reason…"

"There's still something bugging you though."

"No."

"That's not true. Something is really bothering you"

Clara tilted her head up, so she could look him in the eye. But he just looks away. She still asked "What is it Doctor, what's bothering you?"

"It's not really bothering me, it's just… Promise me not to run away if I tell you."

"What could make me want to run away Doctor? I'm staying right here."

The Doctor now looks her back in the eye, and confesses. "I've recently discovered why I like hugging you. I love you."

After a dreadfully long silence, Clara replied, "I love you too, Doctor."


End file.
